Hamlet
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Thursday, November 13, 2014
10:00AM – 12:30PM
Attucks Theatre, Norfolk
What’s Inside
American Shakespeare Center
Hamlet
Who's Who in Hamlet
Payback Play
Who Was Shakespeare The Theater Experience
Shakespeare's England
What's Up with Those Words? Resources
Lead Education Sponsor
Additional Education Sponsors
2
3-4
5
6-7
8-9
10
11
12
13
Foundation Support
Generous support has been received from ArtPlace America, Batten Educational Achievement Fund of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, Wells Fargo, Capital Group
Companies, Ferguson Enterprises, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, D. Baker Ames Charitable Foundation, Capezio Ballet Makers Dance
Foundation, Tidewater Children’s Foundation, Virginia Commission for the Arts, Surdna Foundation, and the following cities and counties and/or their Arts and Humanities
Commissions: James City County, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg.
American Shakespeare Center
the original 1599 structure burned to the
ground. By following the basic principles of
Renaissance theatrical production, the ASC
gives its audiences some of the pleasures
that an Elizabethan playgoer would have
enjoyed.
In addition to giving performances at the
Blackfriars, the ASC on Tour travels the US
and abroad with the same unique brand
of Shakespeare that thrills, delights, and
educates its audiences.
The American Shakespeare Center
celebrates the joys and accessibility
of Shakespeare's theatre, language,
and humanity by exploring the English
Renaissance stage and its practices through
performance and education. Through its
performances, theaters, exhibitions, and
educational programs, the ASC seeks to
make Shakespeare, the joys of theatre and
language, and the communal experience
of the Renaissance stage accessible to all.
By re-creating Renaissance conditions of
performance, the ASC explores its repertory
of plays for a better understanding of these
great works and of the human theatrical
enterprise past, present, and future.
In its hometown of Staunton, Virginia,
the ASC has constructed a re-creation of
Shakespeare's original indoor theater, the
Blackfriars Playhouse, and also has plans to
build an open-air replica of London's second
Globe Theatre, which was built in 1614 after
Source: Adapted from American Shakespeare Center
www.americanshakespearecenter.com
2
Hamlet
Type: Tragedy
First Performance: Actual date in dispute;
probably 1600
First Published: 1603
Prince Hamlet of Denmark is a mess. His dad, the
king, is dead, murdered by his own brother, Hamlet's
uncle. Even worse, Hamlet's murderous uncle has
married Hamlet's mom. That's some epic family
dysfunction; what will Hamlet do? Plenty: hang out
with his dad's ghost, pretend he's crazy, ponder
suicide, insult his girlfriend, berate his mom, plot
how he'll avenge his dad's death by getting rid of
his uncle-now-stepfather-turned-king, plus handily
kill a pile of people—some on purpose, some
not—along the way. Whew—no wonder Hamlet is
Shakespeare's best-known tragedy!
The action opens at Elsinore Castle, where Prince
Hamlet lives with his mom, Queen Gertrude, and
new stepfather, Claudius, who also happens to be
his uncle. Claudius has helped himself to the throne
formerly occupied by Hamlet's dad, who died a
couple of months earlier. Not surprisingly, Hamlet's
not feeling great about all of this.
When Hamlet's friend Horatio tells him about a
ghost resembling his father hanging around the
castle ramparts at night, Hamlet goes to check it out.
Indeed, a ghost claiming to be his dad does appear,
tells Hamlet that Claudius killed him, and urges
Hamlet to avenge his murder.
The horrified Hamlet, now not sure whom he can
trust, decides that pretending he's crazy is best while
he figures out how to get revenge on Claudius. Of
course, Hamlet's strange behavior alarms his mom
and stepdad, who send a pair of Hamlet's pals,
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to spy on Hamlet and
discover why he's apparently gone mad. Claudius
and Polonius, the father of Hamlet's sometimegirlfriend Ophelia, also spy on Hamlet.
At first, Polonius forbids Ophelia to see Hamlet, then
he decides to test Hamlet for certifiable craziness by
sending Ophelia to him. As Claudius and Polonius
hide and watch, Hamlet ponders life and the pain of
living—whether he should "be, or not to be"—before
Ophelia arrives. When she does enter, Hamlet goes
into full-on fake-crazy mode, insulting and ultimately
rejecting her.
When some actors come to town, Hamlet hits on an
idea to prove that his uncle did indeed kill his father.
He hires the actors to put on a play about the murder
of a king. It's not a bad plan: just as the actors
portray the murder in the same way his dad's ghost
says he was killed, Claudius demands a halt to the
play.
Claudius then visits the chapel. Burdened by guilt,
he's unable to pray, speaking aloud instead about
killing his own brother. Hamlet, in hiding, wants to
kill his father's murderer right then and there. But,
3
Hamlet
thinking Claudius's soul would go to heaven if he
were killed while praying (what Hamlet thinks he's
doing), Hamlet decides to wait. He wants to be sure
that Claudius's soul burns in hell.
Understandably, Hamlet's mom, Gertrude, is worried
about her son and calls him to her bedroom. While
Ophelia's dad, Polonius, eavesdrops behind a
curtain, Hamlet angrily unloads on his mother,
accusing her of defiling his father's memory and
carrying on with a murderer. Frightened by Hamlet's
rage, Gertrude calls out for help, as does Polonius.
Thinking the male voice belongs to Claudius, Hamlet
stabs through the curtain. Though Hamlet realizes it's
Polonius he's just killed, he continues to berate his
mother. Dad's ghost appears, visible only to Hamlet,
and urges him on to the real revenge.
In front of the gathered crowd, Hamlet at first seems
to be winning the duel. Claudius offers him the wine,
but Hamlet declines. When Laertes scratches Hamlet
with the poisoned sword, Gertrude cheers her son
on with a toast—with the poisoned wine. Angry that
Laertes's sword has drawn blood, Hamlet tussles with
Laertes. Both swords fall; Hamlet grabs the first he
can reach—the poisoned one—and wounds Laertes
with it. Suddenly, Gertrude falls, crying that the drink
is poison, and dies.
As Laertes also dies, he reveals the plan to kill
Hamlet, blaming Claudius for everything. Hamlet
stabs his uncle with the poisoned sword, then makes
him drink the rest of the poisoned wine for good
measure. As Hamlet himself dies, he implores his
friend Horatio to tell the world of Hamlet's story.
With Hamlet a bona fide killer now, Claudius sends
him off on a ship to England with Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern—and written orders for Hamlet to be
executed. When Hamlet discovers the letter, he
changes it to read that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
be killed instead. Then Hamlet escapes and makes
his way back to Denmark.
Meanwhile, Ophelia's gone crazy—for real. When
her brother, Laertes, arrives to bury his father and
sees his insane sister, he vows revenge on Hamlet.
As Laertes speaks with Claudius, Gertrude delivers
the news that Ophelia has drowned herself.
Claudius tells the furious Laertes that Hamlet will be
returning to Denmark, as Hamlet has sent a letter
saying so. The two come up with a plan to get rid of
the prince: Laertes will challenge Hamlet to a duel,
Laertes's sword to be tipped with poison. As backup,
Claudius will also offer Hamlet a cup of wine—
poisoned, naturally.
When Hamlet returns to Elsinore and finds Ophelia
dead, he's stunned. He loved her more than "ten
thousand brothers," he swears, which, of course,
infuriates the already irate Laertes. A master of
timing, Claudius proposes the duel.
Philibert Rouvière by Charles-Michel Geoffroy
4
Who's Who in Hamlet
Need help remembering the key characters in
Hamlet and understanding why they do what they
do? Here's a handy guide, plus some questions to
get you thinking.
Hamlet ~ Protagonist, or main character; the
guy you want to root for. Prince of Denmark. Son
of Queen Gertrude and nephew, and now stepson,
of King Claudius. Hamlet hates his uncle/stepfather
for killing his father, King Hamlet, and usurping
the throne. And he's disgusted with his mother for
marrying her late husband's brother, a murderer.
Hamlet's obsessed with avenging King Hamlet's
death, as his father's ghost has urged him to do.
Philosophical Hamlet thinks about things a lot, and
often has a hard time taking decisive action, yet he's
also prone to act impulsively. You could say there's
more to Hamlet than meets the eye.
• Think about this: Why is Hamlet so often hesitant?
What keeps him from action?
Claudius ~ Antagonist, or opponent of the
protagonist; the villain. Claudius is the new king
of Denmark, having taken the throne formerly
occupied by the late King Hamlet, Claudius's brother
and Hamlet's dad. Claudius is married to his late
brother's wife, Queen Gertrude, Hamlet's mother. As
Hamlet learns from his father's ghost (and ultimately
Claudius himself), his uncle killed King Hamlet. The
murderous, manipulative Claudius has a passion
for power, yet he's still able to feel guilt. A complex,
crafty kind of guy.
• Think about this: Claudius keeps Hamlet at court
instead of allowing him to return to his studies
abroad. Why would Claudius want Hamlet—his
rival for the crown—near to him?
Gertrude ~ Queen of Denmark, Hamlet's mother,
and Claudius's new wife. Gertrude enjoys her high
position, and seems to rely on the men in her life
to preserve it—even if they may be murderers, like
Claudius. This frustrates Hamlet so intensely that he
scorns his mother with a condemnation of all femalekind, railing in act 1, scene 2: "Frailty, thy name is
woman!"
• Think about this: Does Gertrude deserve such
tongue-lashing from Hamlet? Why or why not?
Ophelia ~ Hamlet's on-again, off-again girlfriend.
She's sweet and flowery, and submits to the
authoritative men in her life, like her father, Polonius,
and brother, Laertes—both of whom Hamlet winds
up killing. Even as Ophelia sinks into insanity—and
the river as she takes her own life—she stays sweet
and flowery.
• Think about this: Why does Ophelia go mad and
ultimately drown herself?
The Ghost ~ Seems to be the spirit of King
Hamlet, the protagonist prince's dad. The ghost
orders Hamlet to avenge his death, claiming
that Claudius was his killer. Here's the thing: In
Elizabethan times, ghosts weren't considered all that
friendly, and, in fact, might even delight in luring
mortals down a less-than-wholesome path. In act 2,
scene 2, Hamlet himself even wonders whether this
apparition might actually be a devil, not his dad.
• Think about this: If you were Hamlet, would you
believe the ghost to be your father? Would you
obey the ghost? Why or why not?
• Try this: Imagine one of these characters has a
Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram account. How
would the character's posts or tweets read? What
kind of photos would he or she share? Would the
other characters "friend" your character, "like"
your character's posts, or "favorite" his or her
tweets? On paper, create an imaginary social
media collage for your character.
5
Payback Play
The Revenge Tragedy
You know what they say about payback.
Considering the body count in Hamlet, you could say
paybacks are hell for just about everybody in the
play—including the protagonist.
Shakespeare's most famous tragedy—a play with an
unhappy ending—belongs in a very specific genre
called the revenge tragedy, popular during the late
sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. With roots
in Roman writer Seneca's adaptations of Greek
tragedies and influenced by Renaissance writer
Thomas Kyd's stories of revenge, such as The Spanish
Tragedy, the revenge tragedy is comprised of a
checklist of elements and plot points that include:

A disguised death or murder, often of a ruler
killed by someone close.
In Hamlet, the drama is kicked off by the offstage
murder of King Hamlet of Denmark, young
Hamlet's father, who's killed by his own brother,
Claudius, Hamlet's uncle.
 Contrived appearances and festivities, often
including a play within the play.
Remember that play about the murder of a king
that Hamlet commissions from the actors? The
one Claudius puts an abrupt halt to?
 The protagonist and/or other characters
becoming or pretending to become crazy.
Pretend crazy: Hamlet (or at least it starts out as
pretend). Real crazy: Ophelia.
 Multiple murders and the graphic depiction of
killing, including of all main characters.
Oh yeah, loads of that. Let's tally it up. Onstage:
Polonius, Gertrude, Laertes, Claudius, and
Hamlet. Offstage: King Hamlet, Rosencrantz,
Guildenstern, Ophelia.
 The appearance of a ghost, usually the murder
victim, with a message.
The specter of King Hamlet chills out at the castle
at night, rattling the royal court and delivering this
message to Prince Hamlet: Avenge my murder!
 An avenger, or person seeking revenge, often the
son or relative of the murder victim.
That would be our protagonist, Hamlet, who
doesn't want to let his father—if the ghost is really
whom he appears to be—down.
 Plotting, intrigue, and scheming among the
murderer, avenger, and other characters.
There's plenty of that in Hamlet. Murderer
Claudius and avenger Hamlet engage in lying,
spying, pretense, subterfuge, manipulation, and
even more murder.
6
Payback Play
Shakespeare's deft crafting of Hamlet slots it
perfectly into the genre of revenge tragedy. But
where did Shakespeare come up with the idea in
the first place? Scholars believe it came from Saxo
Grammaticus's History of the Danes, written in Latin
around 1200 CE. Saxo's work includes a Norse
legend about a young man named Amleth whose
power-hungry uncle kills Amleth's father, a king, and
marries Amleth's mother. Amleth fakes insanity as he
plots revenge on his uncle. Hmm, sound familiar?
Of course, Shakespeare wasn't even born yet in
1200. So how did he discover the tale? Scholars
have two theories: Shakespeare was fluent in French
and read a 1570 French translation of Saxo's work.
Or, more likely, Shakespeare based Hamlet on a lost
version of the story by Renaissance writer Thomas
Kyd, which scholars call the Ur-Hamlet.
While Shakespeare likely borrowed the plot for
Hamlet, others have similarly borrowed from Hamlet,
adapting the story in movies like The Lion King and
even on TV in an episode of The Simpsons.
• Think about this: While Hamlet's is the most
obvious, there's more than one revenge plot in
the revenge tragedy of Hamlet. Can you identify
others? In what ways are they similar to Hamlet's
quest for revenge? How are they different?
• Try this: Can you name any modern adaptations
of the revenge tragedy you've read or seen in
literature, drama, or film? Make a checklist of
any classic revenge-tragedy elements found in a
modern book, play, or movie.
Source: Revenge tragedy checklist from Hamlet Teacher's Guide, California Shakespeare Theater
www.calshakes.org/v4/media/teachers_guides/2012_Hamlet_TeachersGuide.pdf
7
Who Was Shakespeare
...and Why Should I Care?
Though he's considered possibly the greatest
and most influential writer of all time, William
Shakespeare remains largely a man of mystery. The
scant details of his life come from his works, court
and church records, and accounts from his peers.
Scholars and historians have filled in the blanks with
their best educated guesses.
Take Shakespeare's birth date. There is no definitive
record of his birth, only his baptism, which occurred
on April 26, 1564, in the English town of Stratfordupon-Avon, one hundred miles outside of London.
Since the tradition of that time was to baptize a
newborn three days after birth, it's assumed that
Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564.
We do know that William was the third child
of John and Mary Arden Shakespeare. He had
seven brothers and sisters; only four survived to
adulthood. William's father was a glove maker and
businessman, and his mother came from an affluent
farming family.
It's not known for certain if William attended the
King's New School, which educated the boys of
Stratford. Since his father was prominent in the
community, it's assumed that he did. There, he would
have received an education rooted in the classics: up
to ten hours a day studying grammar, logic, rhetoric,
arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music—most of
it in Latin!
and writing for the Lord Chamberlain's Men, a
performance troupe. The company was later known
as the King's Men, after King James I took the throne
upon Queen Elizabeth I's death in 1603. Until 1642,
when the religious Puritans closed the theaters, the
King's Men troupe was a favorite with both royalty
and the public.
Records reveal that in 1582, when William was
eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway. Together,
they had three children, Susanna and twins Judith
and Hamnet. Hamnet, William's only son, died
in 1596 when he was just eleven. There is no
conclusive documentation of William's whereabouts
between 1585 and 1592, a period commonly called
Shakespeare's "lost years."
Shakespeare's acting company performed at the
Globe Theatre, built by the troupe around 1599.
Evidence suggests that the venue was a polygonal,
three-story, open-air amphitheater that could
accommodate an audience of three thousand. From
1609 the King's Men performed at the Globe during
the summer months and at Blackfriars, a second
indoor theater owned by the troupe, in the winter.
Scholars estimate that Shakespeare arrived in
London around 1588 and began working as an
actor and playwright. By 1594 he was acting
William's plays were in such demand that they were
published and sold in "penny-copies" to his more
literate fans. This was a major accomplishment; no
8
Who Was Shakespeare
playwright before him had become so popular that
his plays were sold as literature. William retired
from the King's Men in 1611 at age forty-seven and
returned to Stratford. He died on April 23, 1616.
pressure! Your problems probably aren't quite as
big as Hamlet's, but audience members like you can
easily identify with Hamlet's emotional struggles and
conflicts as he sorts out what he should do.
In his lifetime, it's estimated that William Shakespeare
wrote thirty-seven plays, 154 sonnets, two narrative
poems, and added more than two thousand words
to the English language. Today, nearly four hundred
years after his death, Shakespeare's works are
read, studied, performed, and enjoyed all over the
world. As playwright and poet Ben Jonson, one of
Shakepeare's contemporaries, once wrote, "He was
not of an age, but for all time."
Other reasons Shakespeare remains timeless
include his remarkable storytelling—his works still
inspire modern authors, playwrights, filmmakers,
even dancers and artists—his complex and multidimensional characters, who are fun to read and
challenging for actors to play, and his ability to turn
an elegant or colorful phrase. Many of the bestknown phrases in the English language, words we
hear every day, came from the mind of Shakespeare:
Those new to Shakespeare may wonder what all the
hoopla is about. Sure, he's one of the world's most
popular playwrights and poets, but what makes him
so special?
for goodness' sake
neither here nor there
the short and long of it
dead as a doornail
in a pickle
love is blind
heart of gold
plus many more. And from Hamlet, these words of
wisdom:
To thine own self be true.
Perhaps the most important reason Shakespeare
is revered is his ability to capture universal human
emotions. In Hamlet, the young prince of Denmark is
undergoing a monumental life crisis—his uncle has
killed his father, usurped the throne, and married
Hamlet's mother, and his father's ghost has ordered
Hamlet to avenge his death. Talk about stress and
• Think about this: Before seeing the Hamlet
performance, consider what's meant by "To thine
own self be true." Does what you see in the play
change your view? How? Why?
9
The Theater Experience
Shakespeare's Day and Today
In Shakespeare's day, attending a play was an
exciting community event. While waiting for the play
to begin and during intermission, audiences would
eat, drink, visit with friends, and enjoy specialty acts
featuring jugglers, clowns, dancers, and musicians.
At theaters today, American Shakespeare Center
performers offer the same kind of experience during
their preshow and intermission entertainments.
In the 1500s and 1600s, performances were held
in the middle of the afternoon, either outdoors under
the afternoon sun or indoors under candlelight. That
meant that the actors could see the audience, the
audience could see the actors, and the members of
the audience could see each other.
Today, the American Shakespeare Center troupe
performs with the lights on. As an audience member,
you'll feel like you are in the same room with the
actors—like you are actually part of the play. This is
very different from seeing something at the cinema or
in a theater where the actors are lit and the audience
sits in the dark. You'll get the feeling that at any
moment the actors might start talking with you, and
sometimes they will.
In Elizabethan times, there wasn't such a pronounced
division between the actors and the audience as
there is today. The theaters were small, and audience
members sat close to the stage. Sometimes, in
theaters like the Globe, they stood around the stage
in the "pit." At other theaters, they could sit on the
stage itself. They often changed seats, mingled,
and walked in and out of the venue, much like at a
modern sporting event. But they always knew what
was going on in the play—they knew the score.
Who'd want to miss the best part? The swordfight,
the kiss, the bawdy joke—or that new word
Shakespeare had invented.
Wherever you sit at the Hamlet performance, let the
action of the play draw you in. Do be considerate,
however, of others who are also trying to see. No
electronic devices or cameras should be used during
the performance. Remember, this is a live event,
so don't be a distraction. Part of your role as an
audience member is to make sure that attending the
play is an enjoyable community event for everyone.
In Shakespeare's age, plays were meant to be seen
and heard rather than read. Compared to today,
Elizabethans spent more time speaking and listening
to language than reading and writing it. Figures of
speech, for example, were more than a dramatic
writing tool; they were meant to be spoken.
During the performance of Hamlet, you'll see the
actors creating the story through speaking words
and embodying actions. Attending a play is different
than reading a play; experience the play through
listening, seeing, feeling, thinking, and imagining.
In the Elizabethan era, audiences were asked to use
their imagination. Certainly, there were theatrical
events that used elaborate and expensive technical
elements, but Shakespeare's plays kept scenery,
props, costumes, lighting, and special effects
to a minimum. Instead of a cast of thousands,
Shakespeare's actors played multiple roles—
including young men playing all the female parts.
You, too, will need to use your imagination.
Shakespeare's words are as powerful today as
they were four hundred years ago. They tell stories
that engage and challenge all of the senses. The
American Shakespeare Center performers limit
technical elements so Shakespeare's words can
shine. Music and sound effects are always created
live and in the moment of the action. Actors play
multiple roles, and often those roles are cross-gender
cast.
Finally, in Shakespeare's day, people loved talking
about where they'd been, what they'd seen, whom
they saw, and what they thought about the plays—
they voiced their likes and dislikes about the story
and the actors. Be sure to share your observations
and opinions of your Shakespearean theater
experience with your classmates, teachers, friends,
and family.
Source: Adapted from American Shakespeare Center
www.americanshakespearecenter.com
10
Shakespeare's England
The Elizabethan Age
Shakespeare lived during one of the most remarkable
periods in English history, the Elizabethan Age.
Queen Elizabeth I ascended to England's throne
in 1558, six years before Shakespeare was born.
Her reign until 1603 was a time of extraordinary
achievement for the country, marked by relatively
stable politics, a flourishing of the arts, and
England's emergence as the military and commercial
leader of the Western world.
When Elizabeth became queen, she upheld many
of the Protestant edicts of her late father, King Henry
VIII, whose relationship with the Catholic church had
ruptured. She shrewdly managed to avoid a rebellion
by making concessions to Catholic sympathizers. She
was a firm and canny leader whose navy defeated
the attacking Spanish Armada in 1588, establishing
England as a world superpower. She supported Sir
Francis Drake, first to circumnavigate the globe, and
funded Sir Walter Raleigh, whose exploration of the
New World, with its vast resources of tobacco and
gold, brought tremendous riches to England.
Under Elizabeth, the arts in England blossomed.
The queen was fond of the theater, and many of
the country's most important playwrights worked
during her reign, including, along with Shakespeare,
Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe. Elizabeth
permitted construction of professional theaters for
the first time in the country's history. In London, a city
with a population of nearly two hundred thousand,
fifteen thousand people a week attended the theater.
Elizabeth's successor upon her death, King James I,
also had a great love for the literary arts, especially
drama. It was at his invitation that Shakespeare's
acting company, Lord Chamberlain's Men, was
rechristened the King's Men. An accomplished
writer himself, King James commissioned an English
translation of the Bible so that more people could
read it, since only the educated classes knew Latin.
The King James Version of the Bible, completed in
1611, is believed to be the world's bestselling book.
King James's big-spending lifestyle and untrustworthy
colleagues ultimately landed him in hot water with
the Parliament, then controlled by the strictly religious
Puritans. Relations between the monarchy and
Parliament worsened when Charles I, son of King
James, ascended to the throne upon his father's
death in 1628. A brutal civil war followed, which
King Charles I lost to the Puritans; Charles was
executed in 1649.
Among the many reforms enacted by the Puritans
at the height of the civil war was the closing of all
theaters. In 1660 Charles I's son was restored to the
throne of England. King Charles II allowed theaters
to reopen, but by then the curtain had fallen on the
heyday of English drama.
London became a center of both commerce and
culture, hosting an explosion of learning and
creativity, including masterpieces of literature like
Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, Edmund Spenser's Faerie
Queene, and Sir Philip Sidney's Defence of Poesie. It
was in this hothouse environment that Shakespeare
lived and wrote, adding the Shakespearean sonnet
to the great literary forms of the day, including the
Spenserian stanza and Marlowe's blank verse.
Queen Elizabeth
11
What's Up with Those Words?
The language Shakespeare used sounds strange to our contemporary ears, just as the language we use today
would have ol' Shakespeare scratching his head. That's because language is constantly changing, evolving, and
transforming. But it's not too difficult to figure out what Shakespeare's characters are saying, even if the English
sounds a little different.
• Try this: Can you match these original quotes from Hamlet to their modern-day translations?
Original quote:
Modern translations:
Come, come, and sit you down. You shall not budge.
You go not till I set you up a glass
Where you may see the inmost part of you.
Hamlet, act 3, scene 4
When bad things happen, they don’t happen one
at a time, they happen in multitudes.
To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them.
Hamlet, act 3, scene 1
Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave I am!
Hamlet, act 2, scene 2
How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world!
Hamlet, act 1, scene 2
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Polonius, act 1, scene 3
When sorrows come, they come not single spies
But in battalions.
Claudius, act 4, scene 5
Come here and sit down. Don’t move.
You’re not leaving until you look in this
mirror—take a good look at your soul and
see what you’ve done.
The most important thing is to be true to
yourself because if you do, then you’ll never
be fake with anyone else.
If you ever loved me, please stay sad for a while.
Endure the pain of living with my death a while
longer so you can tell the world the truth about
what happened to me.
The question is whether it’s better to be alive
or dead. Is it better to suffer life’s painful
events or just avoid it all by dying?
Everything in life seems so tiring, dull, and useless.
He used to be brilliant; madness has ruined him.
Ugh! I am so out of control, and such a
worthless person.
Oh, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!
Ophelia, act 3, scene 1
If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart
Absent thee from felicity a while,
And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain
To tell my story.
Hamlet, act 5, scene 2
Source: Adapted from Hamlet Teacher's Guide, California
Shakespeare Theater
www.calshakes.org/v4/media/teachers_
guides/2012_Hamlet_TeachersGuide.pdf
12
Resources
Absolute Shakespeare
Extensive online resource for Shakespeare's plays,
sonnets, poems, quotes, biography, and Globe
Theatre information.
Virginia Standards
of Learning
www.absoluteshakespeare.com
English: 6.3–6; 7.3–6; 8.3–6; 9.2–5; 10.2–5;
11.3, 5; 12.3–5
American Shakespeare Center
The American Shakespeare Center's website offers
access to study guides, play-specific podcasts,
and more.
www.americanshakespearecenter.com
History and Social Science: WHII.3-5
Theatre Arts: 6.5, 15, 17, 22, 23; 7.18; 8.1516, 20-21; TI.8–14; TII.11, 13, 15–17; TIII.7–8
Complete Works of William Shakespeare
MIT's online collection of full-text versions of
Shakespeare's plays and poetry.
http://shakespeare.mit.edu
Folger Shakespeare Library
The Folger is a world-renowned research center devoted to Shakespeare and the early modern age in the West
and holds the world's largest and finest collection of Shakespeare materials. Its online teaching resources include
Shakespeare lesson plans and other classroom materials.
www.folger.edu
Shakespeare Online
Named one of Microsoft's top ten websites for students, Shakespeare Online provides free, original, and accurate
information on Shakespeare to students, teachers, and Shakespeare enthusiasts.
www.shakespeare-online.com
William Shakespeare Info
Vast online resource for Shakespeare's works and biographical and background information.
www.william-shakespeare.info
Hamlet Study Guides
Free Hamlet study guides:
http://absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/hamlet/hamlet.htm
http://www.folger.edu/documents/Hamlet%20Layout%20for%20WEB.pdf
http://www.calshakes.org/v4/media/teachers_guides/2012_Hamlet_TeachersGuide.pdf
13
Feedback Form
We need your feedback to make our Education Programs even better! Please take a moment to complete this form
and either return it to the Virginia Arts Festival office at 440 Bank Street, Norfolk, VA 23510, fax it to (757) 6053080, or e-mail your answers to [email protected].
WorldClass® Event:
How did your students respond to the performance?
How did you prepare your students for this performance? Did you use the Education Guide? If so, how?
Did students enjoy the materials?
How did this performance contribute to experiential learning in your classroom?
What role do the arts play in your school? In your classroom?
If you could change one thing about this experience, what would it be?
Please include quotes and comments from your students as well!
(Optional)
Name:
School:
Would you like to be part of our database?
City:

Yes

No
14
2014-2015 Season
Hamlet
November 12-13, 2014
Charlotte Blake Alston
February 26, 2015
Rhythm Live!
March 27, 2015
 Fold
Virginia International Tattoo
April 22-24, 2015
Fold 
Place
stamp
here
Virginia Arts Festival
440 Bank Street
Norfolk, VA 23510
 Fold
Fold
Robert W. Cross
Executive Director
Susan Van Hecke
Research & Writing
Christine Foust
Education Director
Lisa Dagley
Page Design & Layout
Photocopying and duplicating for educational purposes only.
World Class® Education Program Guides. All rights reserved.
©2014
www.vafest.org